1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an eye protection device and, more particularly, an eye protection device for use by a reclined dental patient during dental treatment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Solid fragments of metal or plastic restorations, such as fillings, are commonly ejected from the patient's mouth as the patient is being treated. Contaminated fluids are likewise splattered about during many procedures. These fluids often contain pathogenic (disease causing) bacteria, viruses, and fungi that can infect the eyes of both the patient and the dental treatment facility employees.
For the protection of employees, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) now requires the employees to wear safety glasses with side shields while engaged in the treatment of dental patients. In addition to protecting the employees, some government regulated clinics even require safety glasses to be worn by the dental patients being treated. The patients are not only subject to risk of eye injury due to fragments and contaminants during clinical procedures, but are subject to injury by heavy and/or sharp dental instruments which are frequently handled in the proximity of the patient's eyes. If the instruments should be mishandled and dropped, serious eye injury could result. With this in mind, many private dental practitioners voluntarily provide safety glasses for use by their patients. There is a need to provide comfortable eye protection for use in protecting a dental patient against the risk of eye injury.
Eye safety has been an important concern, and eye safety protection devices have been the subject of patent protection. Typical eye protection generally contacts the wearer's face in an encirculating manner about the wearer's eyes and are purposed to protect the eye area against flying particulate matter. One such form of eye protection is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,058, issued to Chensan Cheng on Jul. 25, 1989. Cheng discloses a pair of goggles having a frontal eye shield and a cord. The shield includes a continuous rearward surface which is to accommodate the general contour of person's face. A concave recess is formed in a lower center portion of the shield for abutting the wearer's nose. An upper portion of the shield abuts snugly against the wearer's forehead. The cord is fastened to the sides of the shield to allow attachment of the shield to the wearer's face.
Another form of eye protection is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,847, issued to Robert G. Craig on Oct. 31, 1978. Craig discusses a protective eye shield specifically configured for use by surgical patients. This invention generally describes a face mask member formed of two substantially identical opposite portions joined together by a bridge portion. The mask member is designed to be secured to the user's face, substantially entirely around the user's eyes. An eye protection device similar to that shown and described by Craig above are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,411,263, issued to Gayle Cook on Oct. 25, 1983, 4,502,476, issued to Claire D. Welt on Mar. 5, 1985, and 4,649,908, issued to Maurice S. Ghaly on Mar. 17, 1987.
Yet another form of eye protection is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,956, issued to Elvin L. Boyce on Jan. 17, 1989. Boyce describes a protective face mask including a flexible transparent material which is generally flat in shape. A moldable stiffener is attached to a bottom edge of the transparent material and permits the transparent material to be molded to conform to the wearer's nose and cheeks. Means for spacing the transparent material away from the wearer's eyes is attached to an upper edge of the transparent material opposite the moldable stiffener. A single elastic band is attached to two sides of the transparent material for drawing the eye shield closely to the user's face.
Alternative eye protection is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,938, issued to Patrick E. Laughlin on Nov. 3, 1992. Laughlin describes an eye shield that indexes to an inhalation gas providing nose hood and the hood's hoses to provide secure eye protection to a dental patient during the performance of dental procedures. The shield further indexes to the patient's temples and forehead to provide secure and comfortable positioning of the same. The shield cooperates with the inhalation hood to shield against materials reaching the patient's eyes.
Other possible forms of eye protection, including shields, eyeglasses, lenses, and the like, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,825,878, issued to David H. Kuntz et al. on May 2, 1989, 4,741,611, issued to Dennis L. Burns on May 3, 1988, and 4,859,048, issued to James H. Jannard on Aug. 22, 1989. Not one of these patents discloses a protective shield configured to conform to a wearer's face.
Other patents which may be deemed of interest include French Pats Nos. 1,539,730, issued to M. Francisque Ginet and published on August 1968, 1,148,276, issued to Marie-Louise Mauries and published on Dec. 5, 1957, and 973,014, issued to Nelly-Claire-Eugenie Dermont Maradji and published on Feb. 6, 1951. These French Patents follow the general characteristics of the above cited U.S. Patents.
According to the present invention, a comfortable form of eye protection is provided for reducing the risk of injury to a dental patient's eyes. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.